The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1887-10-15
THE COSTERM0NGER.
A ROUGH AND READY CHAHeC EN-
or TIE BRITISH METROPOLIS.
Tondness for street Br""is-"o" INV
Costermonger settles Disputes VII"
nj. Te,nnle--The Overworksd Pony
Idle svartns in the streets

Idle NNHfn~ III in' T'ht'
The London costermonger generally
wears fixed kind Of dress. His nat IS
always black derby, rusty from rain ana
weather His coat is generally a rust!
black frock He rarely wears waistcoat
His trousers may be corduroy or any Kind
OF the cheaper wooden patterns His shoes
are thick solcd and hObnailed. He always
wear colored handkerchief tied around
his neck i'm place Of q collar These hand
kerchiefs are always dirty, except upon
rare Sunday and holiday occasions, when
new ties are donned These handkerhiefs
are always Of faucitul color, light blue
and red being the fayorites They are
worn high up Oh the neck, leaving couple
Of inches Of dirty neck showing between
the handkerchief and the greasy collar OF
the stumbling frock coat. The handker-
chief is'really the badge Of the order ms
handkerchief about the neck designaies
the character and standing of a tuan an
England az completely aud thoroughly as
II he wore uniform prescribed 10y act OIL
parliament The cOsterm0ngers are men
engaged in street traffic of all kinds They
are generally dealers in vegetables. They
UtZlu VIII push fNl II. NAA't % Nt'Nf
prosperous and reach the climax OF their
ambition they become the owners 81 small
two wheeled wagons, drawn by little don
KEYS or ponies. The strength and cndnr-
ance Of these small animals are phenome-
ma have seen from SIX so eight grown
people on a cOstermOnger's cart being
drawn at q furious pace by pony not
much larger than Newfoundland dog
The costermongor never gives his pony
my rest He works him during The week
in hi, business and uses the wretched 1T
lie animal on Sunday 20 give his friends 20
treat I'm the shape of a ride to some cocS-
uey resort I'm The suburbs The coster-
mOngers live IN the street They are
never indoors except for eating and sleep
ing a very severe, driving storm VIII
sometimes force them into the house. but
they generally take refuge under an avn
ing or some gateway They are o hardy.
tough. course fbcred people They are
noisy. and have perfect passion for
scenes Of uproar and excitement fou
rarely hear Of costermongcrs numbering
any Of their associates or of their using
knives or pistols I'D their quauels. They
have a way OF pounding and kicking
each other when engaged in disputes nut
are rarely arrested. as they nevor seem Co
carry malice. aud their fights generally
end up in good natured way The
costermoucer and his female are often
the chief actors in street Drawl When
once costermonger has begun 20 keep
company with q costermonger female
then she IS considered his property. She
speaks of him as her man and she i-
spoken of as IBIS gal
n was Sunday morning The two had
started ont evidently for a holiday lie
was in his best Tie was a surly. heavy
jawed fellow. with Dlack ewes, "a short
nose and brawny, hairy fists. He wore q
little black derby hat about three sizes TOO
small for his great round head His
handkerchief was me lightest Of sky
blues She was buX0m, burly, of medi-
am height dressed iu true costermonger
style Their dispute grew out of diff
ference of opinion 0- 90 where they
should spend the day She insisted on
going one way and be the other. They
DISPUTED for half ID moment, and then he
turned around and deliberately gave her a
kick which lifted her about sis inclTs
from the sidewalk. to convince her that
his way was the BEST She turned quickly
and began kicking him in return The
way she brought her number ten boots
around against his shins very soon CON
WINGED him that she was as strong 40 that
kind Of argument as bee. They kicked az
esch other for about five minutes. me
center Of 70 delighted and cheering crowd
and then tine costermonger female by her
skill in kicking carried the day In mo-
ment or two more be gave up, eriuuet
good naturally and the two walked oil
tolcther for happy sabbath.
The way domestic hrawls are carried on
in the streets of London cannot be
matched ! mu certain in any other city
ia the world. The common people who
walk the streets regard these quarrels as
! their own private the0uica.s and sierhiy
resent any Interference of the police As
/ n general thing the police do not touch
| tbe braWlers unless they make too much
! of "a disturbance and block mp the streets.
/ The police then simply order them 90
move OH. aud make arrests only where
/ the disturbing party rcsists. During my
stay in London have seen more street
n0lfs than bad ever seen before 100 ny
| life The actors in these street lights OF
domestic braUl, appear 10 take sreul
pride i'm the parts which they are chilled
iDon to play Th,y are stimulated py iht
cheers and roor- of approval from the au'
dicnce and do their best 20 maintain thell
reputation for courage fcrocity and skill
in rctort
The women are specially excitable anc
active Joe street FIGHT The man eener
Lam, looks -ulhy and -heepish when en-
ga ed i-lt With bis female in public
/ Brf the umm never give them a chance
10 brck our They are much more vim
dicfiye and active than the men AiieI
the man has been kicked three or foul
fines and has had bis face scratched ui
to proper state of rwucs-. Doe be
comes excited and then strike, ont
brutal, and cruelty unless % police
man happcn- 90 be too near The womet
are generally the yctors IN these street
fights The lighting women generally
have babies in their arms. have seen /
number off costcrmoncer yirago- bound
pe from the ground like hyenas rushinl
NO and down with great leaps, bowling
insults and epithets. then sweeping dowi
toward the hated object of their wraii
for Is blow or "a kick, aud when the mai
strikes oat the baby never seems to be- re
rardeI es anything more than q buffer
q'I. ra-f.rul0uler female Uses her baby